Field Guides

Why do we send home Field Guides each week?

Why would we go through the trouble to write out extra activities, on top of the curriculum we are writing?

Why do we use color ink and lots of paper to print the Field Guides?

The answer is simple.

Because we believe in the influence of a parent on their child's spiritual development.

At Northgate our mission statement is to bring people to Jesus Christ, and to build them up in that relationship.  In Bible Trek, one of the ways we build children up in their relationship with God is to help you as parents connect with your kids spiritually.

On your Field Guide each week you will find the following information:
- The main idea of that week's lesson
- The passage of the Bible which we based he lesson around
- That week's memory verse
- Something to do in the car on the ride home
- Something to do as a family during the week
- Something to do in your quiet time (geared toward our 3rd and 4th grade kids, and for parents)

 Main Idea
The main idea of the lesson is what we want kids to understand at the end of service about how the Bible story relates to their relationship with God.  For example, in our Kingdom of God year we taught a lesson in which the main idea was "God sent angels to tell the shepherds the Good News, and God sends us to tell the Good News to our friends!"

During this lesson, we wanted children to see the impact they could have on their friends' lives by telling them about Jesus.  We send home the main idea of the lesson each week so that you will know what your children have been taught, and hopefully will talk with your kids about it throughout the week!  It's a good way to gauge their answer to the question, "What did you learn in Bible Trek?"

Bible Passage
We want kids to understand that they are part of God's story.  That's why we have a big timeline on our classroom wall with the kids' pictures on it.  Part of understanding their role in God's story is recognizing the power of the Word of God.  We send home the Bible passage that we used so that you can look it up and know what your kids were taught each week.  You could also use it as a passage to read during your family devotional time.  We hope the kids are opening their Bibles at home, not just at church.

Car Ride Home
The ride home from church can go many ways.  We hope, though, that it becomes a time of reflection on what God is speaking into your lives as you process what you have heard on Sunday mornings.  The activities we send home for the car ride might seem silly sometimes, but they always have something to do with the lesson your kids just heard - - and you can quiz your kids on how the game relates!

Family Time
It seems to be getting more and more difficult for families to gather around the dinner table these days, let alone find the time for a family activity!  But we truly believe that doing these activities together with your kids will help them learn to become lifelong followers of God.

Quiet Time
Our Quiet Time activities are geared toward the older kids in Bible Trek, but they certainly can be accommodated for younger kids as well.  We hope that you, as parents, are taking advantage of the quiet time suggestions so that you might better understand what your children are learning in church.

Everything we do in Bible Trek has a purpose.  Every conversation, every piece of the curriculum, every picture on the wall, every paper sent home.  Thanks for taking the time to read and understand more about why we do what we do!